there were french, they sailed to florida, they had the good sense to go to florida in june as opposed to massachusetts in december and they sailed 50 years before the mayflower sailed. they were french huguenots who were escaping the same strife and persecution in france that the pilgrims would try to escape years later but they're nowhere mentioned in any of my childhood history books. they found a colony known as fort caroline of of what is now jacksonville, floridian and a year later, they were not thriving but surviving and planning to stay and that is when spanish king sent and admiral over because he was to be rid of these protestant pirates essentially who were camped out on florida. that is why st. augustine was founded. it is not really a story that st. augustine tells a great deal about when you are there but if you drive 17 miles south of st. augustine will find another national historic site called tons this, a word for scotty is because these french protestants were slaughtered by the spanish founded st. augustine. why with a slotted? partly because they were french but m